"....In the beginning, there were hundreds of tribes. Many had the power of the martial soul, but the only ones who were extremely powerful can lead the tribes into a united front against all.
Those times were rough and bloodthirsty, it was centuries of war between the tribes — all for the goal of one tribe to lead them all.
And, from the ashes, one tribe rose up to become the first great ruler of the 72 tribes. From their thousand year reign, they brought momentary peace and tranquility...
They were the Golden Phoenix Tribe. They were called such because they held the Golden Phoenix martial soul, their first ruler was a powerful man said to equal a powerful Titled Douluo or even rank 100 Deity..." Huo Yuhao muttered as he read the history book and shook his head.
This was the 13th history book in the library that he'd read through and so far, he'd collected a few leads of possible divine inheritance sites. But he didn't get his hopes up.
'It's fascinating. The Sun Moon Continent almost has a similar history as the Douluo Continent, but the difference lies in their view of soul tools. In ancient times, the latter had developed soul tools at a similar level as the Sun Moon natives but they stopped their development of soul tools in favor of personal strength. While the Sun Moon Empire was the opposite.
There should've been a surge of new development of soul tools ten thousand years ago when Hidden Weapons of Tang Sect was still popular, but there wasn't until the Sun Moon Continent collided with ours. Was it simply because the craft of ancient soul tools was far too lost? Or was it because something was purposely suppressing it?'
Huo Yuhao was curious but didn't dig too deep into it. It wasn't a concern to him anyway.
'Jing Yang Mountain Range, Evildemon Forest, Oak City, and somewhere in the vast desert. I'll send some shadow clones to those places, I should get a result in a couple of months.'
Huo Yuhao scratched his cheek and turned his head.
"Miss, staring at someone for so long could make one feel uneasy."
"?!!"
"Y-You can see me...?"
The person who said that took a few steps back.
She was a pretty good looking girl. She had a slender figure, and was around a hundred eighty centimeters tall. She also had long light pink hair down to her back and a sharp look in her eyes.
Her figure seemed very proportionate and flawless. All women craved a body like hers. There was no fat on her body, and her skin was extremely smooth and tender. Her slender waist was springy, and her flawless curves extended all the way down.
Huo Yuhao tilted his head, amusement in his voice. "I can't. But my other senses are enhanced, so when I heard someone breathing so heavily near me..."
The girl's eyes widened, realizing the implications of his words from the blindfold he was wearing. "You managed to hear me just by—"
She paused and stared at the book in his hands.
She realized that she was being teased.
"You—! Liar!"
Huo Yuhao shrugged and placed down the book. "I'm not the one stalking someone for an hour, but what do I know? I'm just a poor guy who was just minding his own business."
The girl was flabbergasted, and wanted to defend herself, but realized that she couldn't.
Instead she scoffed, crossing her arms and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't stalking you. I was... whatever! It was my fault for disturbing. I'll be going now."
She didn't want to waste any more words on this strange guy and turned around, heading towards the exit.
Huo Yuhao hummed.
"You know... that way leads to hell."
"What?"
The girl furrowed her brows in confusion and turned back towards Huo Yuhao, only for him to have disappeared.
'He's gone?! I didn't notice!'
She wasn't no ordinary girl. Her name is Na Na, a high-rank Soul King and an active control soul engineer; a type of soul engineers who knew simple and basic handlings and creations of the lowest-class soul tools or none at all, but they're mainly known for being exceptional combatants.
Even a soul saint couldn't escape her senses, but a strange guy with a blindfold could without even using his martial soul?
A piece of paper appeared before her eyes and she grabbed it.
She inspected it and the paper had strange writings on it.
"If you ever need help, just rip that paper apart."
Huo Yuhao's voice entered her ears, as if he were a ghost.
Na Na trembled and took out her blades instinctively, but Huo Yuhao was long gone.
"Who was he?" She muttered with a contemplating expression.
.....
"Teacher Xuan, I'm back~! Hm?" Huo Yuhao walked back into the lab with a delightful spring in his steps.
He paused in his step, Xuan Ziwen wasn't in the room anymore. Instead, there was a person lying on the desk table on her face, taking a nap.
This young lady had long, flowing brown hair. She looked to be between seventeen and eighteen years of age. Her complexion was just too impressive, as not a single pore could be seen on her soft and tender skin, as if he could squeeze water out of her with just a single pinch.
"Well, who's this sleeping beauty?" Huo Yuhao muttered with a playful grin, quietly approaching the table.
Looking at the girl's face, Huo Yuhao didn't know why, but he had a feeling of attraction towards her.
'Ah puberty. Hitting me like a hammer with a nail, despite my mental fortitude. Probably because I had dual-cultivation with Xiaotao.... Ugh.
Focus. Focus. Think about the cold, think about ice, snow, and hatred! Think about getting revenge on the Duke, the Ice God, and Tang San...' He let out light breath.
"I should eat. I've been so focused on ancient history that I forgot about lunch," He scratched his head.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes snapped open and she stood up.
"Ah! The shrimp crackers will be gone!"
Without saying a word to Huo Yuhao, she raced out of the lab with a spring in her step.
Huo Yuhao looked at the door, baffled.
It didn't take long before the girl stomped furiously back into the lab.
She raised her arm, without saying anything, and hurled a sphere of yellow light towards Huo Yuhao.
'Eh? An orange?' Huo Yuhao effortlessly caught it.
She then started tossing more and more.
Huo Yuhao kept catching the oranges, placing them all on the table beside him. It was as if his hands had multiplied.
Out of curiosity, he peeled one and popped a segment into his mouth. It burst with flavor—sweet with a sharp citrus tang that refreshed his senses almost instantly.
He let out a satisfied hum. "Not bad. Your martial soul tastes pretty good."
"Eh? You're not teacher Xuan..." The girl finally realized he wasn't who she thought he was. She blinked in confusion, taking a cautious step back while still holding an orange.
"You're definitely not teacher Xuan," she said, eyes narrowing as her brain caught up with her surroundings. "Or any of my classmates."
"Nope," Huo Yuhao said with a friendly smile, still chewing. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm your new junior here. Teacher Xuan is teaching me. My name is Huo Yuhao, an exchange student from Shrek Academy."
"An exchange student? My new junior?" The girl furrowed her brows and scoffed. "Whatever. You woke me up! Because of what you said, I'm now incredibly hungry. As my new junior and for waking me up from my well-needed rest, I expect you to treat me to lunch," she declared, arms crossed like a queen issuing an imperial decree.
Huo Yuhao blinked. "Lunch?"
"Yes, lunch," she said, gesturing dramatically toward the door. "So unless you know how to cook, let's make our way to the cafeteria."
"...Well, you're just in luck. I know how to cook."
"Oh? Hmph. Well I'll bet it's just something simple like eggs and bacon. I will let you know, I'm not so easy to please. I'm a chef of my own craft myself," The girl proudly said, placing a hand on her chest.
Huo Yuhao grinned. "I assure you, what I make aren't that simple either. I promise you, on my pride as a chef. My food is.... out of this world."
There was gleam in the girl's eyes. She curled her lips.
"You...what was your name again?"
"Huo Yuhao."
"I'm Juzi. Don't disappoint me, you won't like me when I'm disappointed," she said with a half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Huo Yuhao snorted and walked up over to her, easily towering over her. He tilted his head down, smirking just a bit too confidently.
"Alright. Where do you want to eat?"
"Since you proclaimed yourself as a chef, I expect you to have the necessary tools to cook up a meal anywhere. Even here."
"If Teacher Xuan complains, you're taking the blame."
"My, and you call yourself a man? Shirking responsibility like this," Juzi held her hand over her mouth with mock offense, her eyes glinting with mischief. "What kind of junior hides behind his elders when the stove gets hot?"
Huo Yuhao grinned. "A smart one. But fine. If Teacher Xuan finds out, I'll tell him I was being bullied by a gluttonous upperclassman."
Juzi pointed at him with a dramatic flick. "Damn right you were."
He sighed with exaggerated resignation. "So demanding.... Alright then. One private five-star meal, coming right up!"